steve1

Growing up in the Missoula area, I met many different smoke jumpers. It seemed like all of them got hurt, if they did that job for very long. You wouldn't believe some of the places they jump. I'd think that breathing smoke and dust, year after year, would have a real negative affect on their lungs too....

Hell, I love to spot! Just point me toward the door....

Another smoke jumper who helped Cooley spot that load, into the Mann Gulch Fire, was Jack Nash. He was assistant jump master that day. Jack was the oldest Smoke Jumper to ever train at Missoula. He too is dead. Jack became a master rigger. I trained under him to get my senior riggers ticket. He was a real character and outdoorsman. There is a lot of history surrounding the early day Smoke Jumpers and their base in Missoula. Johnson's flying service supplied the aircraft back then. Bob Johnson started this flying service in Idaho and expanded to Missoula. There are a few books out on Bob Johnson and his flying service. My Dad lived with Bob Johnson during the 40's and later learned to fly co-pilot on tri-motor's and travel-airs. He had many interesting stories of dropping cargo and smokejumpers (including conscientious objectors during the war). We used to skydive out of Johnson's D.C.-3's and twin beeches during the 70's.... I've driven past where the Mann Gulch Fire happened. It is a very steep, bare, hillside. It would have been very hard to outrun a wind driven fire on such a mountain. You had to admire those early day smoke jumpers....

I may be old, fat, wore out, bald, somewhat senile, and hard of hearing....but don't ever call me over the hill. That really hurts my feelings!

I remember from 'back in the day' were cut from a different cloth than. ....................................................................... I agree. There were some real characters who jumped back then. There still are jumpers like that today, but they are fewer and further between. The term normal, seems to fit most jumpers today. Sometimes it's more fun to jump with people who are a little on the crazy side. Many of the jumpers I remember were very much like that. One of the wildest, grossest, craziest guys, I ever met jumped at Kalispell back in the 70's. He was fun to be with, just for entertainment purposes. Then he got religion. The first thing I noticed was that he didn't cuss any more. Then he started to wear a cross on his jump suit. This kind of scared some of us. He just wasn't the same guy, nor was he much fun to be around after that. Next thing you know he married this religious gal, and he quit jumping. Kind of a sad ending, but we hoped this might be a good thing. A couple years back, he showed up at a jump meet. He had divorced that gal....and my old friend was back...wilder and grosser than ever. Most all of the younger jumpers wondered who this gross old fart was. He hadn't changed a bit, in all those years. I'm not sure if he's back jumping again. I hope so!

The T-bow canopy looked cool. The rumor was that they openned very reliably, even better than a P.C. Was that really the case?...

I do recall the thunder-bow canopy from back in the day. Karna Sunby had one in Missoula. Tom T-bow had one in Kalispell. That was 74 or so.....

............................................................... I think this is well said. These words more or less explain what jumping does for many of us. Many of us are haunted by our past. It's hard to forget all that shit. Many of us are worried about our future. Again how do you forget that. But when I jump I am thinking of one thing....the present. It is liberating. It is also extreme fun. Where else can you fly like a bird using your arms, legs, and body. There is also a comradery with others. Many of us need that. There is also a connection to a higher power. Since I'm not a believer...my higher power is nature. I feel connected there. I feel it when I'm outdoors doing whatever. When I'm out in nature, life makes sense. It's an escape from the crazy rat race we often are trapped in. For me nature is a healing place. Skydiving is a part of all that, for me.... Is it any wonder that some say that skydiving is addictive. It's the ultimate natural high....

Good idea Stratostar. I'll start looking today for a young "Whipper Snapper" to jump it first. It's funny though. I've talked to young jumpers who are scared to land a P.C. I know one really experienced jumper who said he didn't want to take the chance of getting hurt, by landing a para-commander. They were jumping a P.C., but they were cutting it away, rather than land it. I don't think most jumpers realize that most para-commanders land just fine, as long as you're not too heavy, and if there isn't a lot of wind.... But then again I only weighed 145 lbs. back in the day. Standups were easy, with a little practice and French Jump boots..... Many of us were also young and dumb. Some of us who were really stupid wouldn't admit that we were scared to jump in the wind either. I still have knots on the back of my head and rear to show for that....Thank god for motorcycle helmets! There was a reason there weren't many old geezers in the sport back then!

In Montana most drop zones are around 3,000 ft. I weigh about 180 without gear. I'm just hoping that the modifications that were done to my competition P.C. will help. It is still short lined. A rigger shortened the two big turning slots, and covered up the big hole in the rear. I'm hoping it will open better, and land similiar to a mark 1. I made about 300 mark 1 jumps back in the 70's. I jumped another PC about three years ago. I didn't even check to see what kind it was. I don't think it was a jumbo. It was my first PC jump in 35 years. I stood it up with the help of my Frenchies. Even after all those years, muscle memory kicked in, and it was just like riding a bike. I'd like to try that again. Maybe I'll try it over water first. No use taking too many chances. It's hard to have fun, when you're an old brittle bastard.

.......................................................................... On my bows (compounds and recurves) I wax the string, when they are frayed. It definitely makes them last longer. But bows aren't parachutes. From the posts so far, I'd say waxing could cause problems.....

Maybe this is old school rigging. I read this in Gary Lewis's para-commander handbook. He said not to use bees wax because it would pick up dirt. I don't know how much better paraffin would be. I imagine it would still pick up some dirt. The reason for waxing was to make something like steering lines last longer. The author recommended doing this every ten jumps or so. Again, I've never seen anyone do this. If noone does this any more, there's probably a good reason. I appreciate your advice....

........................................................................ I was just reading the para-commander handbook by Gary Lewis. If you want me to photo-copy anything let me know. All types of para-commanders are in this manual. You can PM me your address. I'm anxious to try out my competition model PC. I had it modified, so it should be similiar to a Mark I now. I'm using the manual to brush up on packing. It's been a lot of years since the 70's. I always factory packed back then. I'm also about 25 pounds fatter....I'll be 60 next year. I know all this sounds like a recipe for disaster. But I think I can pull it off....

I was reading that it might be a good idea to put house hold parafin on frayed lines. I've never seen anyone do this. Anyone out there tried this?

Does this mean I won't be able to talk tough on the computer anymore? I'll miss that!

I love National Parks. Where else can you see wildlife or country like that? We rode through Denali Park once on a bus. I kept thinking, wouldn't it be cool to hike back into some of that wild country. We picked up some back packers on that same trip who had covered miles of back country in Denali. They had one scary bear story after another. (and these were grizzlies). Would I go on a hike like that without a gun?.... Probably. What can I say....I'm a sky diver too. It would be worth the risk!

Coyotes sometimes get newborn calves. That is a worry in the Spring. They seldom take on older calves. At least I've never heard of a rancher losing an older calf to coyotes. I live in beef country. I'm sure a coyote would love to take one down, but they have difficulty killing an animal that big. Coyotes are bad sheep killers. They are particularly hard on lambs. I knew a lot of sheep ranchers who used the 10/80 poison back when it was legal. It also killed a lot of eagles and other critters. Now many sheep ranchers have some huge sheep dogs that live right out with the sheep. I've seen other flocks that have a burro to chase away coyotes. I enjoy hearing coyotes. It might be at night, or right around sun up, a bunch will open up howling and yipping. Kind of hard to describe the feelings that conjures up. A coyotes size may be deceptive. In the Northern climates they grow long fur. Once they are skinned out, they don't look nearly as large. I've never killed a coyote that isn't covered with thousands of fleas. They must have a terrible time coping with that. It's not wise to carry a dead coyote over your shoulder. I have to sight my rifles in different (to hit lower) when I hunt coyotes. Normally I sight my rifles in, three inches high at a hundred yards. Mid-range trajectory would be almost four inches high. That puts you a hair low at 300 yards. Sighting a rifle in that high, is enough to completely miss a coyote. A couple inches high at a hundred works better for me.....

We were fishing once up in Northern Saskatchewan. I helped a young Canadian unload his rubber boat. He was limping bad on one foot. I asked him what happened. He said that he had accidentally shot himself through the foot with a 22 the day before. Sure enough he had a bullet hole in the top of his shoe, and another hole coming out the sole of that shoe. He was a tough bugger, and nothing was going to stop him from catching some lake trout that day. At any rate, he said he grew up in that same area. Black bears were always getting into things. One day he was confronted by a black bear. Since his truck was close he decided to make a mad dash for it. The bear was right behind him. He jumped in and slammed the door. The bear made a big dent as it slammed into his door. Yep, even a black bear can be dangerous. I've hear many people say that you should fight back, if a black bear ever takes you down. (Rather than play dead). I'm not sure about which plan would be better, but I'd hate to find out. I've skinned out a couple different black bear. The last one I shot at close range with a recurve. You wouldn't believe how powerfully built these animals are. Even a small black bear could nock the tar out of a measley human....

Things are very regulated in National Parks. You stay on the roads and follow only certain trails. You can't have a dog. If you go into the back country you pre-plan your route. Only some are allowed on these trails. Some places are off limits. And there is good reason for all that. There are some very dangerous critters in many National Parks. Grizzly bears are nothing to sneeze at. In the right circumstance mtn. lion can be dangerous too. Black bear are supposed to be timid too, but occaisionally one will try to eat you. I've heard of wolves trying to eat your horse and sometimes even people. Yes, a wolf attacking a person is rare, but so is a coyote attack. You can go into the back country with a false sense of security. Chances are things will turn out fine. I've done this many, many times myself. But not any more. I don't care how smart a person is, there is that one time when you really need a weapon bad. It may be to save your life, or someone in your family. A few years back my family and I went swimming in some natural hot springs up in Canada. No, we didn't have a gun or bear spray. We had a wonderful time. A few months later a black bear came to this same spot and started killing and eating tourists. This bear would get someone down, and then he'd start eating on them before they were even dead. Some other tourists started throwing rocks and hitting it with clubs. Then the bear would take someone else down and start eating them. Finally one guy ran 3/4 of a mile out to his truck, and grabbed a rifle. He ran all the way back and then killed the bear. This bear was starving to death, and people provided an easy lunch for him. So, even a timid black bear can be very dangerous in the right circumstance.

Excuse my rabbling here. I've tried to hunt and trap coyotes most of my life. They are wily animals, that I enjoy seeing. And they are interesting critters. They aren't very large on average, but more than one coyote sometimes bring down deer. Usually they get injured, sick, or malnourished deer. Usually a healthy, adult-deer doesn't worry too much about coyotes. Wolves and mountain lions are another story. They are killing machines. Coyotes are often called in by any kind of squealing sound. One day, out in the desert, we were using a hand crank generator to power a radio in the army. Every time you cranked it, it made a squeaking sound. Out of nowhere a coyote appeared looking for lunch. Another time we had a puppy up in the woods. It was stung on the inside of the mouth, by a bee. It was making a terrible whining sound. Out of nowhere here was this big coyote lurking down on my wife, who had the pup in her arms. It's fun to call them in, if conditions are right. You start blowing on a dieing rabbit call. Sometimes they will run right up to you. One time I saw a coyote coming into my call, way off. There was something about him that looked wierd. Finally, he was almost on top of me, when I fired my 22-250. About half of his fur was gone from mange. His face was mostly bald, and his tail looked like one on a greyhound. Personally, I don't think there is much to worry about coyotes. Possibly they could attack a young kid. Wierd stuff sometimes happens in the boonies. It's good to be prepared for that....

I suppose this could happen. Normally a wolf will kill a coyote. They are competition for food. Wolves may be hungry enough to eat a coyote too. Many of these animals don't live on salad.... I've heard of coyotes who lure a dog away from a farm house and then several of them will kill it. I've never seen this happen though. A friend of mine had one of his hounds killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion. He showed me the picture of a half a dog laying there. The lion had eaten the rest.... This poor girl, probably looked pretty tasty to those hungry coyotes. Too bad she didn't have a gun and know how to use it....

This is the first human death (by coyotes) that I've ever heard of. Usually they run off at the first sight of people or danger. These are normally timid animals. I heard of a hiker once who was being stalked by a coyote. It was following him across the prairie. When it tried to attack him, he killed it with an axe. He had no firearm. I wonder if this girl ran from these coyotes. That can trigger a response for them to chase whatever is running. Even in the city, you should know better than to run from a mean dog. If you run from a bear there is a good chance it will come after you. That goes for most other critters. It's better to stand your ground, wave your arms, and holler a lot. I did that last summer with a black bear that was close and acting wierd. I also had a 357. If you are confronted by an angry moose, you should run. Normally it will chase you a short distance and leave you alone. It's too bad that more trapping for coyotes, isn't done. The price of fur, is so low that it is not profitable any more. The anti-fur movement has an affect on that too. After all it is inhumane to trap... Here in Montana we have a lot of coyotes who end up with mange when they are over-populated. They itch so badly that they rub much of their fur off, and then freeze to death in cold weather. I saw a coyote chasing a deer the other day. I've never seen that before. Usually they go after smaller critters like mice. I've camped many times without any type of bear spray or firearm. Like someone mentioned. It may not be smart. I'd worry more about bears and possibly a mountain lion. Wolves aren't supposed to bother people, but that is possible too.... A woman menstrating could be a factor. Years ago there were two women killed in Montana, on the same night, by Grizzlies. They were killed by different bears, in two separate locations. Both were menstrating. There is a book describing that night. I think it was called Night of the Grizzly...

Wait for a day when the winds are light, and get a good spot. Land into the wind. I used to always use the back risers to land. Reach up as high as you can, and do a chin up on them about eight feet above the ground. I liked French Jump boots for jumping rounds. I've bruised my heels more than once when I tried jumping tennis shoes and other boots. I only weighted about 140 lbs. back in the 70's. Most landings were standups then. I tried jumping a PC a few years back. I'm almost 40 lbs. heavier now. I stood it up, but my Frenchies absorbed a lot of the force, on that landing.

I'm impressed. Does this also help eliminate muzzle flash?....

reply] Seriously, why would anyone break into your house in the middle of the night to kill you? Do you know a lot of people that want you dead? Are you a gang member or something? Maybe a CIA agent? Or is there a serial killer on a killing spree in your neighbourhood? ........................................................................ This kind of stuff has been argued many times on here. It would be nice to just have a conversation about guns without a gun-o-phobe jumping down your throat. In my home town, several years back there was a guy going around breaking into homes. He would first kill the husband, rape the wife, and then kill her too. No, this was not gangland L.A. or Detroit. It was a town in Western Montana....(Missoula). One day he overpowered a guy when he went to answer the door. This slime ball tied him up in the garage, and stabbed him, barely missing his heart. He left him there, bleeding to death. He then went upstairs to rape his wife. Well, this guy was hurt bad, but he wasn't going to die easy. He did a little gun repair, on the side. He pieced together a rifle that he was working on in his garage. He then scrounged up some ammo. He went upstairs to save his wife and the scum-bag came for him again. He shot him dead. The good news is, that man who was stabbed survived. This made national news and even was on 60 minutes. Chances are that something like this will never happen to me. If it does, the same weapons I use for hunting will work well on two legged predators too.... Why not be prepared? I've got an 870 pump, that I can slip a short barrel on easily. I have a 357 that I sometimes carry in bear country. My 9mm auto is not really anything that I would hunt with. It's probably too small for a bear gun. It is more or less a people gun, that I target shoot with.......